1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to disinfection of packaging machines. Specifically, the present invention relates to the application of an intrinsic disinfecting means to various locations on a packaging machine in order to maintain the hygienic nature of the packaging machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Packaging machines are known that integrate into a single unit the various components necessary to form a container, fill the container with a liquid product, and seal the container. Such packaging machines typically feed carton blanks into the machine, seal the bottoms of the cartons, fill the cartons with a product dispensed from a product storage tank, seal the tops of the cartons, and off-load the filled cartons for shipping.
A popular type of carton is an extended shelf life ("esl") carton due to the added value such a carton presents to a retailer. For example, pasteurized milk processed and packaged under typical conditions has a shelf life at four degrees Celsius of seven to fourteen days while the same milk processed and packaged under esl conditions has a shelf life of fourteen to thirty days. Under esl conditions, juice may have a shelf life of forty to one-hundred twenty days, liquid eggs sixty to ninety days, and egg nog forty-five to sixty days. Thus, esl packaging greatly enhances a product since it extends the time period that the particular product may be offered for sale to the consuming public. An esl carton is the final component of an esl system which entails esl processing and esl filling. In order to have esl filling, the high hygiene zone (the filling station and top sealing station) should be kept sterile in order to prevent contamination of the product or carton during filling and sealing on a form, fill and seal package machine.
After a product run, these packaging machines are usually cleaned by exposure to high pressure cleaning solution. The cleaning solution is introduced into the product tank and the filling pipes, and also sprayed about the machine from various nozzle locations strategically placed to effectively clean as much of the machine as possible. However, many surfaces are not directly sprayed by the high pressure cleaning solution. These areas include but are not limited to the back side of the stations chain, the corners of the table top, and the intersection of two components. Also, the spraying of the cleaning solution is followed by sterile or city water which removes any excess cleaning solution from the machine. The standing water may accumulate on certain surfaces of the table top. All of the areas, the areas blocked from the cleaning solution and the standing water surfaces, are places which enable the growth of microorganisms. The growth and survival of microorgansim colonies is facilitated in these areas, and even increased by the occasional spillage of product into these areas. The accumulation of microorganisms may be source of contamination and recontamination of the machine if these microorganism colonies are not eliminated. Such contamination will adversely effect the processing on the machine, and render the final product a non-esl product.
To resolve this contamination, the current practice is to manually clean these areas at predetermined intervals. However, this manual cleaning adds to the costs, and keeps the machine out of production for a longer period of time. What is needed is an ongoing disinfecting process which will work in tandem with the high pressure cleaning process used on the machine.